Chapter 4

"Buddy…!" I groan and silently mourn the loss of a good third of my turnips. Right before it was time to harvest, a certain mutt had managed to dig, maim, and eat the precious crops. He couldn't have picked any worse timing, either, because I was saving up to buy an extension on my house from Gotz- and his prices were anything but cheap. The culprit who had so brutally harmed my produce must have heard me muttering his name in the field, and ran up to me, with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. I suppress a giggle, and can't help but give him a scratch between his floppy ears. "Aw, boy, you know I can't stay mad at you… But… Please don't ransack my vegetables! You already get two square meals a day of the pet food I buy from Barley!" The puppy cocked his head at me, but I knew he had no idea what was just said. I guess I'll have to chop some extra lumber to make a fence for crops in the future… Great.

As much as I'm complaining, I really don't mind Buddy. He's just… Such a handful. I've never met a creature who could be so hyperactive and high-maintenance, and whether he's chasing birds outside or pooping on my rug, he manages to make a game of it. After I harvest what's left of the turnips I'd toiled over for a week, I went to the stable and checked on Flash. The pony was growing quickly, and soon I wouldn't even be able to call him a pony anymore; he'd be fully grown. He seemed healthy and comfortable around me, and I could only hope that Barley would deem my care acceptable.

Since I didn't have to harvest as much as I thought I would, I had extra time to kill. I pulled a rubber ball out of my rucksack that I'd bought from Won soon after receiving Buddy, and began to play fetch with said dog to wear him out. By the middle of the day, the puppy was worn out, and he eventually fell asleep in the sun. I smiled to myself, grateful for a break.

What do I do now? I have half a day left to kill, and there's no way I'll be able to afford any remodeling anytime soon. How could I get extra gold…? After some pondering, I realized that the fastest way to get a profit would be buying an animal. I didn't have any grass growing, and so a calf or lamb was out of the question. Anyway, they seemed like they weren't the best animals for beginners, and they were expensive. A chicken! I'll get a chicken!

I left my farm, leaving Buddy sleeping. Knowing his napping habits, he'd be out for another hour or two, giving me just enough time to buy a bird and bring it home. On my way, I saw Gray exiting the blacksmith shop. He had the usual scowl on his face, and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were turning white. "Tough day?" I call out to the aggravated apprentice, who looks at me from beneath his worn hat.

"Yes. Gramps just… Ugh. I don't even…" I nod, pretending to understand what he meant. Sometimes, I think I need a Gray-to-Claire translator, but then I remember that it's usually "My grandpa doesn't appreciate me the way I think he should."

I smile gently, trying to brighten his mood. "I'm going to buy a chicken!" I exclaim, giddy with the excitement of owning a real farm animal.

Gray looks at me, not following my excitement. "Um, good for you? I'm going to go play with Buddy. It's been a tough day, and I need to unwind. Is he on your farm?" I nod, and we go our separate ways.

It's nice owning a dog with Gray. I wonder if I'd be able to handle it on my own? Oh well. I hope Buddy isn't too disturbed by Gray waking him up from his nap… I smile to myself and realize I'm already at the chicken farm. "Hello!" I say with cheer as I enter the main building.

Lilia greets me with her warm smile. "Good afternoon, Claire, are you interested in buying a chicken today?" I nod, and Lilia leads me outside and to the coop where all of the chickens up for sale are located. "Pick whichever one you want!" Not being a chicken expert, I blindly choose a chicken at random, and scoop it up in my arms. I give Lilia my money, plus a little extra for some chicken feed, and head back to the farm.

So far, being a chicken owner wasn't too bad. I supposed I should give the new member of my farm a name, and decided on Omelet. I know; I'm too clever. When I arrived at the farm, I set Omelet down on the field and went to put the food in the appropriate area of the coop.

"Squawk!" The loud cry of a chicken startled me just as I was finishing depositing the food, and I ran outside to see what was going on. Buddy had apparently taken notice of the chicken, and started chasing her around the entire field. The poor bird was flapping her wings, trying to fly, not aware that it was a member of a flightless species. And, following both animals was a very worn out looking Gray, holding onto his hat with one hand and waving the other in the air, trying to get the attention of the runaway puppy.

I ran onto the field just in time, intercepting the chicken. I scooped her into my arms, and took her into the coop so she could be alone and calm down. I guess I'd be scared too, if I were a chicken getting chased by a puppy.

Outside of the coop, Gray was scolding the puppy, who wasn't really paying any attention to what the angry boy had to say. I couldn't help but let out a giggle at Gray's rant. He was trying to sound so tough; while at the same time trying to catch his breath from running so much. Gray turned to glare at me, but the voice of a third party made us both look up in surprise.

A very red-faced and angry Rick somehow had heard the commotion and entered the farm. His orange hair, although partially suppressed by the headband, was flying out all around his face, and he was spitting as he yelled. "Did I just hear a chicken in distress?! Claire, as owner of a chicken, it's believed that you could be trusted with the chicken's best interests. How can you let down such an innocent animal?!?" My face flushed a tomato red color as I realized how serious the situation could have been. Buddy didn't know better, and by instinct he probably thought that Omelet was another meal.

I manage to stutter out, "I-I'm sorry, R-Rick. Won't happen again. P-promise." I ducked my head, trying to hide my shame. Rick seemed satisfied and left, after delivering a warning that if he heard of any more 'chicken abuse' he'd have to intervene and take my chicken away.

"God, what a basket case…" Gray mumbled under his breath once the peeved chicken breeder had left.

My mood lightened up at that. "You're right… Who actually listens to hear 'chickens in distress'?" I imitated the way Rick had compared chickens to helpless girls in old-timey romance stories, and couldn't help but laugh. Gray joined in on making fun of Rick, and by the time we were done the sun was nearly setting and we were on our backs, clutching our stomachs.

Buddy found that to be the opportune moment to jump on my stomach, and lick my face fervently. Gray found this even more humorous, and I swear I could see a tear fall from his eye while he was laughing. I plucked Buddy off of my stomach and set him loose on Gray's. I lay on my back and stared at the sky, and it reminded me of that time at the beginning of the season I had invited Gray to stay and watch the sunset with me. I almost considered asking again, but decided against it. Claire, he'll think that you have wrong intentions. That you want to be more than friends, and you clearly don't want him thinking that, do you? I scrunched my eyebrows down, wrinkling my forehead. Did I?

"Claire…?" Gray asked, snapping me out of my internal conversation with myself, "Are you okay? You look… Confused." I realized I must have looked pretty silly, laying there quietly with my forehead wrinkled like that, and couldn't help but smile.

"I'm fine," I say, and cover myself with, "I was just thinking about how Omelet will react in the morning when I go to collect an egg from her. I can't imagine that she's overly happy to be at this farm, after a certain crazed puppy nearly gave her a heart attack…" Gray chuckled, and then stood up.

He looked down at me, and gave a final pat to Buddy, who had calmed down and was sitting still on the soft ground. "I'm going back to the Inn; I'll see you tomorrow to help with Buddy." He waved as he left, and I sat up and waved until I couldn't see him anymore.

"Come on, time for bed, Buddy," I say, and scoop up the tan dog. Once inside, I put him on his impromptu bed (a pile of fodder I'd bought from Barley covered with an old blanket) and he fell asleep. I sat on my bed, still thinking.

Thinking about what I thought I wanted Gray to think I thought.

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate and listen to each one of them.

Also, this was supposed to be out last night, but the Document Uploading thing was down. "Come back in a few minutes..." Yeah right! I waited 2 hours and got nothing.

Oh well, again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. :)